HIV in Women

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is today’s number one cause of death among many countries in the world. According to statistics, men are at higher risk of contracting the disease than women. Also, African-American females belonging to the age group 25-34 are the primary victims of this infection.

Even though most symptoms of HIV are similar to both men and women, there are other symptoms that are exclusive to just the females. The earliest HIV symptoms in women include enlarged lymph nodes, fatigue, and fever. These HIV symptoms manifest about one week since first exposure to the virus.

It is extremely crucial to get an HIV test while still in the early stages of the disease. The reason for this is that the longer you wait, the more damage the virus can do inside your body. Remember, HIV attacks a person’s immune system, so this means that the virus is focused on weakening the immune system until the person is not able to fight off other viruses and bacteria anymore. People who are in the later stages of HIV become so weak that they become more susceptible to various severe complications.

Women who have HIV are prone to acquiring yeast infections. The common symptoms of yeast infections are itching, dryness, and burning in the vaginal region. Yeast infections cause painful urination and sexual intercourse. They can be treated by suppositories, anti-fungal creams, and other medications.

Another infection that affects HIV-positive women is called bacterial vaginosis. In this case, a woman’s vagina becomes the thriving spot of certain types of bacteria. It manifests similar symptoms to the yeast infections, and also includes a strange discharge from the vagina. The best treatment for this is also antibiotics.

HIV-positive women are also more susceptible to having other sexually-transmitted diseases. The most common among them are gonorrhea, human papillomavirus, Chlamydia, and genital herpes. Each of those STDs has a unique set of symptoms, but the common denominator among them include lower back pains, abdominal pains, fever, and nausea.

Have you ever heard of pelvic inflammatory disease or PID? This is a major disease that many HIV-infected women acquire. It is characterized by the inflammation of the ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes. It does not manifest any visible symptoms, but instead causes severe damage to many internal organs silently.

Women who suspect that they have HIV are advised to undergo an HIV test. There are different methods to conduct an HIV test, so they have a lot of options to choose from. They can go to a health clinic, visit a doctor, or perform the test using a home HIV testing kit.